Service dog handler lobby

[Freida]

Random question of the day---- I noticed a couple white spots on two of SDs front nails and it looked like they were chipped so I took him to the groomers. She trimmed all his nails and it was only on the front two. Fast forward 3 days and now the black casing is off on all of his nails and they look like they are grey and dusty. I called er vet and she said she doesn't think it rated as an emergency but to take him in this week.

Has anyone else seen this???

 

[Gs172003]

Random question of the day---- I noticed a couple white spots on two of SDs front nails and it looked...

I'm not an expert but almost sounds like a fungus.

 

[Justmehere]

@lostforgottensoul - Have you ever had your dog’s temperament tested? That might help determine next steps and what training techniques are the best over the long haul, and what the long term limits might be, if any.

(As side note, I personally don’t actually use or recommend BAT 2.0 for regular on-going training for SDs. If others find it useful though for SD training, that’s cool. It’s a very safe way of training. Generally speaking, it is a great technique for rehabbing reactive pet dogs or occasional SD fears/behaviors.)

Something else to consider: your emotional state. That can affect dogs as well. While my dog is pretty steady when I’m not, it still affects her nervous system when my symptoms are high. She’s trained with tasks that require willful disobedience for those times my symptoms spike, and she’s able to do just fine, but if she’s off kilter, I look at myself and how I’m doing first. Sometimes she picks up on things I don’t even yet notice.

@Freida - it’s actually pretty common for dog’s nail color to change over their lifetime. It can also be a sign of infection or underlying disease in some cases, but if your dog isn’t showing any other symptoms, I wouldn’t be too concerned it’s anything serious. It’s good you’ll see your vet this week. I hope she’s able to give you reassuring news.

 

[Freida]

@Zoogal @Justmehere
thanks you for the reassurance -- I'm hoping it's a big nothing. Of course I googled it and then just totally freaked myself out so it's good to hear some voices of reason....:nailbiting:

 

[lostforgottensoul]

Have you ever had your dog’s temperament tested?

Not by a professional behaviorist as I can't really afford that but could save up for it I suppose. Many owner trainers seem to have a behaviorist and trainer they can consult and I can't afford either. Have no idea how others do as well. And I have asked for help in the beginning from local trainers and no one was interested unless I was a veteran. Meh!

 

[lostforgottensoul]

I vested him, loaded him in the car but my radio didnt come on so I was fiddling with it and it blasted on full volume (like it had a short) and made Chopper a bit on edge. Grrr! I drove to the gas station but didnt take him out. He layed calmly on the backseat with his head down and then he struggled a bit on the way home but wasn't near as bad as I orginally thought, and then when I come in he's still on duty until we unvest so I had him sit by the couch for a second while I put away my wallet and took my medication and then unvest and then YAY out to run. I think if I keep that up it will get better. Just maybe slow it down before I completely stop it. To gauge where he is before comepletely stopping? And the first time I did it I didn't take him fully out of work. We just worked less. He's not working all day everyday anyway as it is. I may. It just depends on how he does working. Im trying to gauge that as well. Im trying to keep this from washing him out completely. I mean if he needs to be washed out i'll do it but im trying to prevent that. So if i need to take him out of work for a few weeks I will. I even thought about taking a week or two off of work to be able to work on it more with him. I was saving that up to house train a puppy (my new service dog prospect) in a year or so but i can take a week of it to do this. And i may end up with a shelter dog anyway.

@Freida Chopper's nails has always been clear. A few are starting to become discolored and the vet didn't seem worried. His blood tests all came back ok (had a full work up as well as an xray) so I wouldn't worry about it as long as there are no other symptoms. Be careful searching online. I convinced myself that Chopper had kennel cough and then heart failure when all it was, was reverse sneezing due to allergies (which are under control). Sort of like web MD for humans. It can convince you that you have cancer when all you have is the common cold or sessonal allergies. Lol!

 

[Justmehere]

Does Chopper get nervous going to the car? Or only once he is in it?

You could try shortening duration or amount of exposure and then build up from there.

I strongly recommend temperament testing before SD work to identify the temprememt is suitable. It’s far more important than breed or many other factors in deciding suitability for SD work and training techniques. If you can find anyone else to do it, there are a lot of books and resources on temperament.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

If you can find anyone else to do it, there are a lot of books and resources on temperament.

I did a shit ton of research on it and then tested him on each item. He has a great temperment for this. Calm but driven. Pretty perfect if you ask me. He's already alerting and doing many other tasks automatically on his own and has become very intuned with me and doing quite well. As long as we can get past this car thing. He moves past fears pretty quickly normally. This is the first time we've been stuck through this entire year of training.

Does Chopper get nervous going to the car? Or only once he is in it?

When he's in it and it's moving. Moreso when we go over bumps.

Someone has a pretty good idea on my youtube channel. A kong to keep his mind off the car while the car is moving. He is bonkers for coconut oil but I haven't been able to find a way to use it in training. Maybe a kong with coconut oil in it?

 

[Freida]

Sort of like web MD for humans

LOL -- that is exactly what hubby said!! "Get off the computer before you have a nervous breakdown and just take him to the vet on Monday" :roflmao::roflmao:

 

[Sideways]

@lostforgottensoul - it depends on whether you want to cross that line into making the car a place Chopper associates with play.

Buddy used to have a stick he chewed on in the car, but it quickly turned into a game for him. And for his safety and mine, I now have him just quietly sitting when we’re in the car.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

Buddy used to have a stick he chewed on in the car, but it quickly turned into a game for him. And for his safety and mine, I now have him just quietly sitting when we’re in the car.

I make Chopper lay down with his head down and remain that way. He gets tightly buckled in to the point as I don't think he could sit in the car. He remained laying during impact and didn't move so I know the seatbelt is pretty tight. So, I will never allow him to do anything like chew a stick or play in the car. Car equals calm. But, I'm just wondering if he could lick on a kong. I used a kong in the crate and the crate I made a calm place as well. So, it doesn't evoke excitement. I may try it tomorrow and see how he does with it and take it away if it's too exciting.

 

[littleoc]

Hello, everyone.

I'm exploring bicycling as a transportation option until I get a car. I obviously won't plan to go far.

My state is very strict on bike laws (the United States itself seems to have general rules?), but there doesn't seem to be a legal specification for dog/child carriers besides making sure there will be a red flag above the carrier and reflective tape around the carrier. I'm not sure if this is a law (i will check anyway) but I plan to add lights to any carrier I use anyway.

The leash attachments to bicycles alone are not legal in my state. It least they don't seem to be. Which is fine, because my road comes out at a highway, so I'd prefer that my dog not have to run to keep up (way too tiring even for a boarder collie/Australian shepherd) and also that I don't have to make sure she's safe in the same way. (She was trained for shopping carts and the motorized carts in less than a day, so I know she could be, but... doesn't seem worth the risk.)

I looked at cheaper carriers and determined their weight limits weren't good. Plastic wheels seem likely to fall apart (many reviewers said so). I finally found this one. Allen Sports 2-Child Bicycle Trailer | Academy It is made to hold two children. My dog weights about 65 pounds or 30 kilograms so it will hold her if the shape is right (I plan to go look at it in person). The wheels aren't plastic so I will be able to add more lights and reflectors to them. Also the steal frame looks sturdy enough.

What do y'all think? Has anyone ever taken their service dog by bike anywhere and have additional advice?

My city is medium-level bike friendly. I won't go out during high traffic times.